When Getting Lost is a Good Thing
by Nispedana
Summary: [Fem! Luffy] If Lucci and Luffy met years earlier, Ace would live a longer life. How did that happen? (Image not mine!)
1. Getting Lost

**Thanks for clicking! Hope you read to the end and I hope you don't leave without telling me your thoughts! Remember: Negative reviews are better than none! At least we know what** _ **not**_ **to do.**

 **Anyway, I do hope you enjoy the story!**

 **Note:** So...my renewed interest of Lucci is due to the fact that he makes an appearance in Dressrosa lol. Which soon lead me to read the CP9's mini-story (which I had _no idea_ existed tho that may just be me) in St. Poplar. Hoho~ They were adorable there, yeah? XD

 **Disclaimer:** Oda-sensei owns One Piece, I do not.

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偏移

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 **WHEN GETTING LOST IS A GOOD THING  
** _"Everything has a core. If one hits that one integral spot—accidentally or not—its course can change history forever."_

FUUSHA VILLAGE

The seven-year-old Luffy opened her eyes at the sound of someone's snoring, the first thing she saw was the wooden beams and girders she often climbed and played on as if they were tree branches. She then turned a little and felt the softness of the futon and coldness of the wooden floor each occupying half her back. Apparently, she fell asleep as she waited for Dadan and Ace to get back.

She then absorbed the sound that was distinctly the sound of Ace's snore.

Her eyes shot open and she tilted her head to the source and saw it was Ace all bandaged up, but well (as proven by his loud snores). She was already up and crawling next to him before she knew it.

"Mornin' Luffy." Someone behind her said and saw some of the bandits sitting there, around Dadan.

 _Dadan_

She was in a much worse condition and Luffy crawled to her, but Magra raised a finger to tell her to keep quiet and she pressed her lips together in obedience. "What happened?" She asked, quietly, and Magra said she and Ace fought the pirates. They'll be fine in no time.

Satisfied with the answer, she turned to Ace again and leaned down on her stomach, then resting her chins on her palm and watched her surrogate brother sleep in peace. She didn't know exactly what happened with Bluejam's crew but she was happy he was safe.

She stayed there, uncharacteristically still, for many long minutes. She wasn't sure why she's memorizing his face and all his freckles and even all of his mumblings… but she continued to do it, for a long time.

When she was done, Luffy grinned and sat back up. For a moment she caught one more glimpse of Ace and had the urge to lean down and to press her lips on Ace's freckled cheek. He seemed to have felt this, as he smiled and hummed in response, shifting lightly while continuing on sleeping. She chuckled at this, just before she stood up, and by then a perpetual grin was now pasted on his face.

She took her hat to flop it back on her head, climbing up to her cabinet and changed into her comfy- stretchy cardigan and denim shorts, heading to the door a moment later. She threw a careless 'see you soon' to the bandits and the unconscious Dadan and Ace, just before she left.

As she skipped from root to root, to rock to rock, she mused that now that Ace was back, Sabo was the only one left.

And it was time to get him back, too.

…

Her feet stopped at the mouth of the forest, about several minutes into walking. The three of them created the shortcut, with just enough space cleared for their three little bodies, and it went directly to the gates between Gray Terminal and High Town.

However, she turned away from it and decided to run along the coast instead. Partly because it's brighter there, there was more wind, and it she used the shortcut _all_ the time. Might as well make a change of pace, and perhaps they'll have luck getting Sabo back _this_ time.

Little did she know that the choice would change her path for years to come.

偏移

She ran along the rocky shores to the town, effortlessly jumping over massive protruding roots, and avoiding falling on the occasional cliff-of-doom.

As she ran though, her feet stopped at the sound of an explosion. Her eyebrows furrowed and she ran just a little faster than before, and halted when she caught sight of smoke a few kilometers away. It was just a line from where she stood, but it was visible enough to make her heart thump in worry.

She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to see as she ran but she was too far to really know what happened. She continued to run and run and jump until she was close enough and saw it was a fishing boat.

She _knew_ that fishing boat, and her heart stopped at the realization.

" _SABO!"_

Her eyes detected a ship nearby, a few hundred meters away. "OI! Turn around!" She yelled, so loud her lungs felt like they were bursting. "Can't you see Sabo needs help?" She continued, bellowing. "TURN AROUND!"

But it never did. So she decided to save Sabo herself.

偏移

"HMPH! So _what_ if it's a kid? He's got that hideous pirate flag. He must be killed." St. Jalmack yelled indignantly as he sauntered to the interior of his massive ship, his weapon still smoking from its recent use. "How _dare_ that brat enter _my_ way. **Annoying**!"

Then his feet stopped as he looked at him—eyeing him from head to toe—an ebony-haired teenager of about seventeen. "Oh don't you worry Lucci- _kun_! I got it handled!" He said, raising the bazooka proudly.

"Of course." He said, rather impassively, and closed his eyes and relaxed into his seat.

Lucci had been on the verge of finally performing the ultimate technique of Rokushiki: Rokuogan when he was interrupted and got assigned to guard the noble, and he—being a dutiful soldier—at least needed to replay the techniques in his head.

As he sat, trying to practice in his head, he felt the Tenriyubito's analyzing stare. "I have to say you're just the right amount intimidating. Though as expected for the boy who single-handedly killed 500 soldiers and massacred a pirate crew that took over a country! Ha-ha!"

He frowned at the noise and opened his eyes to glare, but the man was dense that he just continued to blabber around until he reached his throne and waited to reach Goa. For a moment, St. Jalmack relaxed into his cushioned seat and thought there _can't_ be anything that will ruin his mood now.

But the image of an impertinent blonde kid on an ugly boat actually _daring_ to cut his path passed by the World Noble's head once more, and he frowned deeply, body cringing in disgust. "On second thought, I want to take a long bath…" St. Jalmack announced. "That brat _totally_ ruined my mood!"

"B-But sir—we're already there—" A servant tried to reason with him but Jalmack placed a tentative hand on his bazooka in response. The servant flinched and kowtowed. "Ah, y-yes, of course." The servant hurriedly said, making one more bow and stayed in place.

So the tenryubito disappeared to his quarters, announcing that the welcoming party can wait an hour or two.

And thus, all those who were in a boat stayed still while they docked, asking the welcoming party of nobles to wait a little longer.

Not long after they land, however, Rob Lucci sensed a movement. One that was stealthy and quick enough to get his attention.

' _An enemy?'_ He internally voiced out, though he didn't think anyone would dare sneak into a Celestial Dragon's ship.

He walked to the balustrade and he saw the intruder.

It was a brat.

Then he watched as she stretched her arms to reach a part of the ship, sneakily entering the cabins.

He corrected himself. It was a brat with a devil fruit.

As he made a mental note to kill a couple of guards for their general uselessness later, he stoically sauntered towards where the girl was. He appeared behind her a few seconds later, making her gasp in shock. " _EEK!_ "

He grabbed the back of her red cardigan to lift her up to eye level, analyzing her mechanically as he was trained to: A pint-size brat in country clothing, a moon-shaped scar under her left eye, and the most unusual aura he had encountered so far.

Further, the girl was about seven or eight years of age and she was sweating in nerves, looking anywhere but his eyes. At least she knew she had been caught red-handed.

"I j-just wanted to borrow a boat. A small one will do!" She told him, trying to reason like the brat that she was.

"I…I…I was going t-to return it. I promise!" She said, squeaking. "I... I was going to use it to save my brother!"

Lucci raised a disbelieving eyebrow and she apparently interpreted it as a sign to continue with her blabbering. "He was on a fishing boat with a pirate flag! His boat got burned and I need to save him!"

He remembered the blonde boy the World Noble shot with his bazooka, and he just stared at the unknowing girl. "It's useless." He said, voice even more monotonous than before.

"Why?"

"He's already dead."

Her eyes widened, but she shook her head. "How do you know that?!" She squeaked and by this time she was no longer scared of him. She was _offended_. It was because of her yell that some of the guards finally heard the noise. "He's okay! Sabo is always fine! He's strong!"

"B-Besides it's your fault so you need to lend me a ship." She continued to yell, effectively spraying a bit of spit on his face. "You didn't turn around to help him! That's _cold!_ "

She did not even consider they were the ones who caused it.

She was too naïve, even for a brat.

He hated her already.

…

"Lucci-san! W-What is this?" One of said-useless guard reacted at the sight of a kid in the ship.

He narrowed his eyes and raised his free hand about to use _Shigan_ on the weakling, but the brat on his other hand suddenly yelled. "AH!"

"Mr. Guard! Don't make him angry. You just made him angry!" She yelled at the guard, scolding, and Lucci's eyes widened slightly as he turned his head to her. "I was _so_ close to convincing him to let me borrow a ship, too!"

That was not true.

Still, he looked at the girl who sensed his annoyance through his trained stoic façade with unwelcome wariness. He dropped her to the floor, an imperceptible vein on his head softening, admittedly interested in what she will do next.

"So does this mean I can borrow a boat?"

"No."

"EH?"

Soon two more guards appeared with their swords and guns. He combed his shoulder-length hair back, gesturing to stand aside. "Defeat them and I will let you have your boat."

" _EH?"_

He stepped away and looked at the three suited guards and then the little girl not even half their size. She looked torn and a bit anxious, but she bit her lip with determination on her eyes.

" _For Sabo."_ She said, just before running to her opponents.

"Oi, oi." One of the men said, looking at him. "Lucci- _san_ , you can't be ser—"

He was cut off by a clean punch on his face. The other two flinched at this and their bemused faces turned to ones of annoyance and they attacked the girl with sheathed swords and the back of their guns.

Many more guards appear and he raised his hand to keep them from interfering, his eyes boring into that small lithe feiry form oozing with willpower.

He watched as the girl's sights never left her opponent since she began attacking, her simple-minded brain no-doubt formulating strategies based on instinct. Soon, while she was a few meters away from her opponents, she parted her legs for balance when she formed a fist. " _Gomu gomu nooo_ Pistol!" She yelled, and her fist stretched, making the men gape in shock.

"What the—"

And the punch connected against a face and she used the momentum to carry her own weight to fly to her enemies. She stretched her feet to hit the other one, easily avoiding the former's attack. The three groaned in pain but one managed to stand up and he looked at the girl seriously. This obviously didn't sit well with the girl, who—as another booming sound from the sea was heard—was quickly losing her patience.

Glaring at the man, she clenched her hands and yelled. "Go _**down**_ _already_!"

He felt himself shiver at the intensity of her words and—to his surprise—he soon heard consecutive thumps right in front of him.

The man fainted. Along with a few others on his side.

Lucci stared in shock while the other two gapes. "W-What is that?" The soldier yelled. "You—what did you do?!"

The kid hadn't even noticed what she did, and she kept her glare, intent on taking the two remaining ones down.

"Enough." Lucci told the men. "You've already lost." He said and he strut to stand in front of them, making them look at him in puzzlement. Their faces instantaneously contorted in terror as Lucci raised his hand and with his index fingers inserted bullet-like holes in all their bodies—all in a blink of an eye.

From his periphery he saw the kid and the soldiers gasp, though it was only she that dared to question him. "HEY!" She yelled, shocked and confused. "Why'd you do that!?"

"They were weak." He said, cold and sure, but she told him something that shook him a little.

"Yeah you're strong." She said, pausing, eyes defiant and far from admiring. "The strong're _supposed_ to protect the weak!"

" _JERK!"_ She screamed so loudly that the words rang in his ears, in so many ways. "FORGET IT! I don't need your help!"

He stayed frozen in place for a second longer than necessary and he heard her stomp away. The soldiers gesture to block her path and he looked at them, eyes commanding them to tell her be. He let out a bored sigh before turning away.

And as he walked away he tied his hair up to a ponytail, sitting back to his seat and continued to mentally study Rukuogan.

Although…, he noted it was a bit more difficult to concentrate this time.

…

Luffy's scowl did not disappear as the soldiers made way for her. That JERK. And there she thought he's a good guy! So much for being a good judge of character…

"Oi, don't. Leave her alone."

"She's just a kid, what can she do?" Another guy said. "Saint Jalmack's quarters are pretty far from here, anyway."

"Someone stationed below would deal with her." A guy whispered, slightly stuttering. "Not _us_. We don't want to go against Lucci-san, now do we?"

At this she stopped and looks up at the nearest man, who flinched in anxiety. "Hey _ossan_ , where's a boat I can borrow?"

"A-Ah. Will a lifeboat do?"

"Yes." She said, though all boats were pretty much the same to her.

The guy pointed to a direction and she went there, though as she walked and walked _and walked_ she didn't know how she ended up inside a massive room, and she mumbled how rude the guy was—probably giving her the wrong directions.

And she was getting hungry, too, actually. But that can wait. Sabo might be a great swimmer but he may need her help!

"Hohohoho~ What a treasure! I wonder what slave I should feed this one to? The snake one was awesome. The massive girl from Amazon Lily sure ate it up nicely!"

She heard to word 'feed' and her ears twitched and her nose sniffed. She followed the voice to a slightly open door with weird designs.

"OI YOU TWO AT THE DOOR! Can't you check when my bath'll be ready?"

She watched as the guards entered the interior room and went closer herself, stealthily looking into the small open line the opened door made.

Luffy took a peek to see an ugly old man with square glass on his head admiring an orange fruit. It had swirls on it that looked very very familiar. The two guys in suit looked around to the servant who was apologizing because the bath needed time to heat up. At this, the guy turned red in anger and was ready to slap the girl when another servant came out from another room with steam coming out of it. "Your bath is ready, sir."

The man's annoyance dissipated, and his face contorted into a very ugly smile. "Ah, yes."

The two men gestured to get back to their positions by the door, when the man shouted again. "YOU TWO! Guard the door _here_."

"A-Ah, yes, sir." And they turned back to the direction of the room and proceeded to guard the bathroom door.

Her eyes ended up on the fruit again and she stretched her arm to get it.

She casually walked away with the fruit on her hand, eyeing it as she went farther and farther away from where she took it. She looked at it carefully, trying to recall where she'd seen something similar, and her stomach flopped when she finally places it in her memory:

It's… that _horrible_ tasting fruit…!

"Eew." She uttered, almost dropping it, but remembered Makino say she shouldn't waste food. With a shrug, she put it on her hat making it bulgy.

Maybe Sabo can eat it. He's not a picky eater.

Eventually, she did reach the life boat and with all her strength she rowed until she was where the smoke was.

She brightens to see that he was fine, unconscious form managing to hold on into a piece of wood, but he was still out cold and he had some horrible _horrible_ -looking burns.

 _Sabo_

Her hands moved even faster and she was beside him a moment later, her eyes stinging a little due to the smoke. She leaned down to wrap his arm around her shoulders and lifted him up, but it was hard because the piece of wood was really unstable.

"Lu…Luffy."

"Sabo!" She yelled, smiling, almost losing her balance. She managed to get back to balance and she turned to him to tell him it's okay now, though she realized he once again already lost consciousness. Still, she was glad he's okay.

But it didn't even take a strong wave for them to completely lose balance and almost fall down on the sea. She gasped when she realized she had let Sabo go and he dropped to the sea. She grabbed whatever piece of cloth she could but he still fell into the water. It felt like the sea was eating him up, pulling him deeper into the pit of his stomach, and she gritted her teeth—her strength was fading, fast, and she knew she couldn't handle this for much longer.

"S-SABO!" She yelled as she used her other hand to pull out her quickly-softening hand in the water. She _refused_ to let Sabo go, and she didn't notice how her feet were sliding to the edge of the broken ship.

Still, even with the curse of the sea a renewed power was ignited within her—Sabo _can't_ die, not like this—and even when her slippers were halfway to the water she managed to pull him up. She uses all her remaining strength to put him on a drifting wood in front of her.

She looked and made sure he's on a stable position, just before noticing she has already lost her platform. This time, she was the one pulled down by the water.

偏移

— _An Hour Later—_

"So where have you _been_ Lucci? Why are soaked?" St. Jalmack asked, about well over an hour after he had last seen the CP9 agent. "What kind of job do you think—" He stops as he gulps under the young man's stare and Jalmack forgot to even _act_ indignant.

Lucci didsn't maintain his glare and gave a customary apology and excused himself, saying he had to change clothing.

As he walked, he squeezed the water out of his sleeves, thinking that it seemed the world noble hadn't noticed the fruit gone yet.

 _The devil fruit_. When he jumped down the water, he saw how a user was helpless against the water. It wasn't that they couldn't swim—it was worse—they couldn't even move a muscle.

Lucci thought that they were more of weaknesses than strengths. He swore he won't be eating those cursed fruits.

He didn't need them anyway, he told himself.

He remembered seeing the fruit on her life boat, and recalled the World Noble making a passing comment of making _him_ eat it. His eyes had twitched at the memory and he ignored ever seeing it there.

When he saw her breathing after saving her he stood up, but as he turned he felt a tug on his white shirt. His expression hardened a bit more, just before he turns to look. It was her, panting. _"…t-thank you."_

Then she flashed him that wide toothy smile he'd come to associate with her. He stared for a moment, before freeing himself of her hold.

" _Geppou._ " He uttered, concentrating force in his feet.

And he left her, just like that.

.

"Are you ready, Lucci-san?" A voice from the other side of the door asks, and the eighteen-year-old realized he has been in a daze for quite some time.

"Ah," was all he said, thinking it was better to get all this over with and get out of this island.

…

For _hours_ , Luffy tried to look for Sabo, passing through the Gray Terminal scorched to the ground. There were a lot of people missing though, and by instinct she knew they were all okay.

"SABBBOOOOO!" She called, with as much volume as she could muster. "WHERE AAAAAAAAAREEE YOOOUUU."

She yelled and she knew by instinct that this was the area where the current should have taken him. But she didn't see him. She never did.

 _He can't have fallen off that piece of wood, has he?_

At the thought, she became more anxious and her calls became more desperate and strained. When the skies began to turn orange, she could already hear her heartbeat from fatigue and worry.

But when the sky was eerily red as blood, she caught sight of a cloaked man _flying_ , carrying a small creature with familiar blonde head _._

He was literally flying to a boat faaar away from shore and she couldn't speak for a second, shocked and awed by what she was seeing. They were already on the boat when she realized she shouldn't be just standing there.

She gasped and she ran to the shore. "OI! GIVE HIM BACK! SABOOO!"

"SABBOOOO!"

"As I thought. _They_ are making a move."

"Wha—you!" She squeaked stepping back, then she gathered her wits and grinned. "Thanks for earlier."

Then she faced him, and then looked at the boat. "Who are they? Where are they going?"

"No one knows for sure yet, but they're starting a revolution of sorts." He told her, almost mechanically. "I suppose Mariejoa has more reason to sending me here."

She turned to look at him with those massive round eyes. "Hey. You can fly too can't you? Can you get Sabo for me?"

"I'm only here to get information and confirmation of their existence." He said, making her frown. "Going after them is no longer my job." Though in reality, according to the Cipher Pol sources, at his current strength he was no match for them. The past few years, the organization had been gathering powerful people at the level of shichibukais.

He took a closer look at the ship, his sharp eyes ending on the head that extended to its whole body. It was a Dragon.

He had been hearing of him, though only after extremely deep amounts of investigation, and Rob Lucci had a feeling that Dragon will be one of the most dangerous people alive.

He clenched his knuckles.

If he had been stronger, he could've taken them on, he'd have been able to gather much more than information, he'd have given 'absolute justice' the greatest offering. It had been five years since he was enlisted to CP9, but right now all he can do was what the lower groups can: Gather information.

He then felt a soft pressure on his crunched fists. It was her small small hands, patting his pale ones that were twice as large as hers, and if he was any other person his eyes would've widened.

"Hey it's okay. I don't blame you." She said with a smile, evidently misunderstanding the source of his mood. "We'll get him eventually."

He pulled his hand away at the shock of something that resembles disgust, though not quite, nor had he the time to tell what it was.

She just stared up at him with a supposedly reassuring smile, and he really wanted to wipe it away.

Immediately, he knew she will be trouble when she grew up. She will be strong. That personality of hers will definitely add to her strengths, though he mused it will have to do with angering and provoking people.

She could even get under _his_ skin and that was something that had never happened before, not like this.

And then there was the infamous conqueror's haki, and that thought made him frown deeper than ever.

Who _is_ this kid?

He gave her a sideways glance, suddenly very intimidated of what this kid would grow up to be. As an opponent she will be extremely troublesome and it was logical to kill her while she's still a bud.

But he didn't want that, for one reason or another, and to his chagrin he couldn't quite point out why yet.

So he decided to do the next best thing:

Turn her into an ally.

.

.

"So… can you tell me what we can do?" She asked, interrupting his line-of-thought. Lucci looked at her for a moment, making her blink and tilt her head.

"What?" She asked but he kneeled down in response so their eyes were leveled and she looked at him, listening.

"You owe me your life." He told her, a matter-of-factly, and she noded with similar straight-forwardness.

"I do."

"So you owe the government your life."

"…huh?"

He stared at her and thought she could be one of the greatest weapons on the world government will ever have. The girl, on the other hand only looks at him, utterly puzzled. "But I'm gonna be a pirate."

His eyes twitched at the word. Nevertheless, he stared at her knowing what he can say to get her to agree. "We could look for your brother together."

And she brightened up and his eyes soften indiscernibly.

This won't be a mistake. He'll make sure of it.

偏移

The young Ace woke up from a comfortable slumber, hands absent-mindedly rummaging his surroundings for a certain someone. His eyes opened when his hands found nothing but the hard wooden floor.

"Where's Luffy?" He asked, abruptly sitting up, and looked around, soon realizing night had already fallen.

"She went out." Dogra mumbled as he assisted Makino as she changed some of Dadan's bandages. "It's been a while though."

"Where?"

"I don't know. You know how she works."

But somehow there was a sudden pit in his stomach he couldn't shake, telling him to get up right now. So he did and he ran to the door to look for her.

To no avail.

And he realized after several more hours of looking that she may no longer _be_ in the island.

Still, he kept looking. _A few more hours,_ he told himself. Because Luffy won't leave without a word like that.

But well after the sun had risen, he _did_ find a message near the sea, along with pieces of broken wood and hats that will break his heart.

He was not sure if he prefers she left a message, after all.

…

Ace stared at the water with debris from his ship, Sabo's favorite top hat floating helplessly. When he had asked around town first thing that morning, they told him witnesses saw Sabo's ship shot to the ground.

And that there was no way he can still be alive.

He gripped Luffy's beloved straw hat and the piece of paper that held her message for him, not believing a word they said.

" _I'm following Sabo!"_ She had told him in her letter, clumsily tucked in her straw hat along with an ugly looking fruit resembling fire.

" _I'll be back. Hold on to my hat for me. You can eat the fruit though."_ And he did, and it is the most horrid things he would ever taste.

Then his eyes ran over the last line, and he read it—as he would every single day after she left.

" _Love you Ace! I know Sabo'll tell you that too."_

.

.

But years would pass and there would be no news of her.

Still… Portgas D. Ace would sail three years later than planned, as if his beloved little sister would come back and sail when she reached seventeen, as promised.

She never came of course, and he set sail to form his own pirate crew.

"I will find you." He would say, facing the endless sea, gripping her precious treasure in his hand. "Both of you." And he would fight his way through many obstacles, garnering adventures Luffy would've loved to have, and protecting her treasured hat and his memories of both his sworn siblings.

During his travels, he will always correct people that the hat was _not_ his, and it will be returned to its owner very very soon, but—as many of his future crewmates will wonder about—

He named his pirate crew the Strawhats, anyway.

 **.**

 **.**

 **END!**

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 **Note: (1)** So you can see here that though Ace still gets Mera Mera no Mi, but isn't a WB pirate anymore so BB won't get to him. He'll survive! Yay. Also, Sabo's memories will have to be triggered by something else. Ha-ha.

 **(2)** Out of curiosity, with this kind of set-up, who'd you rather end up with Luffy?

 **(3)** I wrote this because even though Lucci will be part of Luffy's R. Harem in 'Rivals and Oniichans' …, the guy reappearing in front of Luffy takes a _loooong_ time and I kinda was itching to write them together. So… **there.** xD

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偏移

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REGARDLESS, do tell me what you thought! Crits and flames are accepted.  
In any case, never leave a completed story without saying your thoughts, at least once! Do it for us! xDDD

THANK YOU FOR READING!


	2. Immersion

**Disclaimer:** Oda-sensei owns One Piece, I do not.

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陷入

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 **CHAPTER 2: Immersion**

CIPHER POL TRAINING GROUNDS

She was eight years old when Lucci brought her to his home island somewhere in Grand Line (which she noted didn't seem _that_ dangerous). It was pretty small and the weather was similar to Dawn Island, only it was a lot rockier and she could see a large tiered tower (Lucci called it a 'pagoda') even from the sea.

Only Lucci and she went down the boat, and the massive ship left them there, heading to Enies Lobby.

Then a well-dressed pigeon flew towards them, landing cleanly on Lucci's shoulders. "Hattori." He uttered, and Luffy saw Lucci's eyes soften a little and she knew the pigeon was a good friend.

They walked pass children around her age training: punching the air precisely in-sync, kicking up the air with choreographed steps, and chanting 'justice'—but Luffy sparkled at the sight of prospective playmates.

But… somewhere during their walk—still hearing the chant of absolute justice—her feet stopped at a realization. She tilted her head up and looked at Lucci, suddenly very very pale. "I'm not going to be a _marine_ , am I?" She asked, nose crinkling in distaste.

Lucci's face did not change. "No." He said. "You'll be something better."

"But I _told_ you, I'm going to be a pirate!" She all but yelled which earned her a glare from Lucci and shocked gapes from everybody else.

"That can wait." He said, dismissively, and continued walking. She could only follow his lead, though very grumpily. He halted once more and took a sideway glance at her, wiping her scowl off her face. "Remember that you owe your life to us for now. You must pay your debt by being of service."

"Eeehhhh…" She pouted. Although she knew she had a debt, she didn't want to _be_ a marine-or-whatever-Lucci-wants-her-to become!

As they walked, the nearby trainers watched her warily and were almost waiting for Lucci to hurt the girl—who by the way had _no_ business being there. The girl was too noisy as well. Everyone knew Lucci _abhorred_ noise.

However, instead of inflicting the girl pain, Lucci kneeled down so their eyes met. Everyone stared as he calmly talked to the girl. "Are you a girl who does not keep her word?" He asked, and it lacked the venom they'd have expected.

"Eh? No—I—"

"Then it is settled." He said, that deadpanned expression still on his face, though his hand ended up on her head, gently pushing her to start moving.

The trainers only stared.

 **…**

She would meet _them_ shortly after: Lucci's very own family.

They were a group of six people, who looked very very odd and she found them all rather fascinating. The nearest one was a blonde with a loooong nose. They called him 'Kaku'. Her eyes _always_ ended up on his nose. His perfectly circular eyes stared into her massive ones. Bemused, she finally spoke. "So…" She mumbled. "Can you smell the whole island?"

"Pfft—"

The guy's eyes twitched while the others laughed, but the he saw she was genuinely curious so he decided to answer anyway. "My sense of smell is pretty normal. Sorry to disappoint."

"OH…."

" _My_ nose on the other hand—is on a different level altogether." She turned to the guy beside him, a long-haired dude with a cool scar on his left eye. "Because I'm a wolf."

"Ehhhh…" She said, cynical, wondering how was he a wolf. She may be a kid, but she knew what wolf looked like.

Then he transformed and he partly expected her to be scared, but she just _sparkled_ in response _._ Startled, he poofed back to human form.

"S- _SUGOI_! Do it again! Do it again!"

"…"

" _Again!_ " She squeaked, jumping and leaping around him, pulling his shirt in an attempt to get his attentions. Her pestering only stopped when she heard a chuckle. It was a girl around Lucci's age and Luffy brightened even more at her face. "You're very pretty." She said, skipping to her. "I've never seen anyone prettier than Makino-san!"

The woman put up a small smile. "Nice to meet you. My name is Kalifa." She said, and her smile widened to a much beautiful one making Luffy gape.

"Wa…" She said, utterly in awe, and Kalifa laughed.

"I like her. I like her very much."

Then someone sighed behind her. "She is very noisy."

She turned to look at the man they called Blueno. Or more specifically his _hair_. "So…"

"I was born with it." Blueno answered before she even asked, apparently getting the question a lot.

"I see. Cool." She smiled and silently wondered if she could hang a rope on it and make a one-rope swing.

"No you cannot." He answered again in advance. She just grinned and then shrugged, knowing that wouldn't remain the case. Then her attention is called by a _massive_ hand—it was bigger than her whole _head—_ In front of her. "YOYO _YOIIIII_ —aren't you a bit too… _bubbly_ to become an agent?"

"You look like a bubble too though. An opaque one."

Kumadori paled, and then froze when his friends stifled a laugh. He looked at them, aghast. "I…I was made a fool of! By a _kid_!" He yelled, the end-of-the-world swiftly approaching his eyes. "I deserve to die."

Then he swiftly unsheathed a knife from who-knew-where and tried to stab himself on the stomach. There was a clashing noise though and the knife broke in half at the impact.

"I can't _die_!" He yelled, stunned—as if he didn't already know—and Luffy who had been watching him bursts out laughing.

"HAHAHHAHAHA—You're _funny_."

And as she rolled around in laughter, her eyes landed on Fukuro and her attention was once again pulled away. He was sitting on a tree, watching them quietly until then. It was his shape that she took notice of, and she found it seriously fascinating. "Do you bounce?"

Fukuro twinkled at the challenge and jumped down with a thud—the momentum making him bounce to and fro, using the trees as plungers. Luffy all but squealed and ran after him like a dog after her ball.

The group watched the odd sight. Jyabura, smirking, dragged his legs towards the arrogant boy a decade younger than he was. "She's… adorable. Where'd you find her?"

"Luffy'll be training as a CP9 from now on." He said, a matter-of-factly, getting the others to blink. They gaped at him, unsure whether they heard him correctly. The girl may get in Cipher Pol, but in _CP9_?

"What?"

"You can't be serious?"

"I am always serious." Lucci said, which was a hundred percent true. Still, it was not expected—especially not with a girl like this. Blueno faced him. "I had assumed the girl's personality is what you'd hate the most, I suppose I got ahead of myself." He said. Lucci stared but he did not answer. It was true, after all, he hated the excessively mouthy ones. He normally had found a way to shut the person up by then.

But she was not normal.

"Luffy is strong, her potential will surprise you." Was all he said, knowing any other of his reasons—many of which were unclear to him as well—would do the opposite of persuasion.

In any case, Luffy, apparently hearing her name, ran to them to introduce herself. All eyes were on her. "Monkey D. Luffy. I'm going to be the king of pirates! Yoroshiku!"

"D.?" Blueno echoed, eyebrows furrowed, as he thought that he heard of it before. Jyabura's eyes, on the other hand, all but popped out. " _Pirate King_?"

Kaku whipped his head to the leader. "Oi, Lucci—"

"Her grandfather is Monkey D. Garp."

"The Marine Hero?!"

"S-Still. She wants to be a _pirate_."

"We'll squeeze those thoughts out of her," was all he says—rather dismissively—before turning away and carrying Luffy by the back of her collar to go with him.

And that was that.

 **…**

He brought her straight to their dormitory after that. It was a small concrete building with two floors, half of which was built against the mountain at the back. The structure reminded her a little of High Town, though frankly she found this so much more welcoming.

"This dormitory will be shared with those people." Lucci explained, and Luffy knew he meant his friends. They enter and her mouth opened at cleanliness of the place. The design was not grand—it was rather plain compared to what she had seen in High Town, though much more expensive-looking that what she had been accustomed to—but it was so squeaky _clean_ she felt like she'd slip on the floor.

A thought of Ace challenging him for a game of stand-slide popped up in her head, but Lucci froze a little when she asked when she can see Ace.

"Not in a while." He said, and he just told her letters will be delivered by ship—and never directly—for security measures. After all, they were in a secret island no one can now about.

"So my letters could take forever to get there!"

"That is just how it is."

That night felt lonelier than ever.

.

.

So she decided to go sleep in Lucci's room.

She found him shifting and sweating buckets, expression in pain, like he was having a nightmare. She patted his head and he eventually calmed down. It didn't take long for him to open his eyes, which immediately widened a little at the sight of her. He was quick to regain his composure and his startled face contorted into a frown. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I sleep here?"

"What—"

"I always had someone sleeping beside me."

"Go to Kalifa."

"But I don't _know_ her." "Please…"

"No."

"Pleeeeasssseeee."

He frowned and glared but somehow it was not working anymore at all. Lucky for her, he was too tired to exert any more energy in arguing with the stubborn little girl that she was.

"Just tonight." He finally said with a sigh, lied down and turned his back on her, but she crept up the bed snuggled on his back for warmth anyway.

And…, even after she became close with Kalifa, she would still sleep in Lucci's bed for a few more years.

陷入

When Luffy had her ninth birthday, Lucci was in one of the foulest moods he had been in for _years._

Early that morning he was forced to eat a devil fruit that Lucci had to eat because Spandam wanted to see what happened to someone who ate _two_ devil fruits—the bastard.

" _It's your birthday gift."_ He had said, a sly smile on his face. _"She's made of rubber anyway."_

If Lucci wasn't such a dutiful soldier, Spandam would've had nine holes in his body right that moment.

In any case, he ended up eating it. He realized belatedly—an anomaly he would berate himself for some time to come (how could he be outsmarted by _Spandam?)_ —that he never really intended to give it to Luffy. _"I was saving it for when I get around two more Zoan-type fruits but what the hell! I guess I wanted to see it in the works already."_ Then Spandam laughed, and once again Lucci had the urge to crush his head.

In any case, he was pulled back to the present by Luffy's laugh. It was Jyabura, transforming, and holding up a piece of cloth in front of her."Do you know the story of the Little Red Riding Hood?" He asked.

Luffy tilted her head at Jyabura and the red cloak, puzzled, but her confused face was soon replaced by a laughing one as Jyabura is kicked by both Kaku and Kalifa, and earning himself a glare from Lucci which leads to another spar.

"What are you looking at _punk_?"

"Just you and your stupidity."

And they turn to their respective beasts and fight it out. Luffy claps her hand like she's watching a circus.

This was _such_ a fun birthday!

Only there is no letter from Ace, still.

Her back slumped but she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Kalifa, watching the boys brawl.

"Maybe we should've invited your grandfather. Would you like me to do that?" Kalifa asked, though she remembered the old man wanted to take Luffy away to be a marine—and strictly a marine. They had never contacted the old man again. But she could see the child needed a taste of home. It had been a many months since she got there, it was a surprise she hadn't shown as much resistance as she expected from someone with such strong personality.

Still, Luffy didn't seem to like the old man either. "Ehhh nooo… he just asks me to train and throws me in chasms!" She said, complete with a small re-enactment. She can't help but giggle, just before being reminded of something and suddenly entered a melancholic mood.

"I suppose we who have families don't particularly like to spend time with them." She said, then looked down at the child who's waiting for an explanation and she smiled. "Other than Kumadori, Spandam, and I… the other members of CP9 are all orphans."

She blinked at this. "So… Lucci, too?"

"Lucci, too."

"Ehh…" She mumbled, looking at the others with musing eyes, just before tilting her head back up to Kalifa. "What's an orphan?"

Kalifa stared at the girl, startled, just before heaving a sigh and shrugging it off. "A person without parents."

"Without parents…" Luffy repeated, thinking, before her eyes widened. "I must be an orphan, too!"

"Are you?"

"I dunno. I don't even know if I have a mum and a dad." Luffy said with a shrug. "I do have a bbiiiigg family though." She said, stretching her arms to prove her point, though it stopped halfway when her heart stopped at the thought of them.

She missed Ace, and Sabo, and Dadan, and everybody else. She wanted to see them, even if just for her birthday.

Her shoulder slumped and she bit her lip. "Can I visit home?"

.

The question completely stopped the brawl, and the two transformed back to their human form, joining the others in surrounding Luffy. Lucci's eyebrows met and he crossed his arms. "The Cipher Pol Training halts for no one. It must be done without hindrances."

"Why?"

It was Kalifa who answered. "It is the way it has always been done—and for good reason." "Think of the Rokushiki training as a dam. If cracks are found there, the whole thing will break. You will have to start from scratch."

"That's okay! Just let me see them just this once—!"

"No." Lucci said dismissively, and walked away. A few others just patted her head, telling her to be patient, while the others tried to explain it to her more clearly.

That night would be the first time she tried to sneak out that island, promising she'd return very soon.

It would also be the last.

She tried to look for a government ship that was docked in the island, bound _anywhere_ , though with no such luck. Soon, she found out that any sort of ship would not be passing by the island for at least a few months. Instead, she stole a random log pose (all she knew was that it was needed in sailing through grand line, whatever that meant) and made a raft with rudimentary carpentry skills she learned from Sabo and sailed.

But she hadn't even lost sight of the island when a storm came out of nowhere and a massive sea king swallowed her ship whole, leaving her with a tiny piece of drift wood to hold on to. Her heart dropped when her eyes met the sea king's, knowing the feeling to be very familiar.

Like the time Shanks lost his arm for her.

She saw the monster open its mouth and reveal its teeth—something that wouldn't have scared her if she had anywhere to land on _but_ water. It was then that she heard a familiar popping sound in the air, and sure enough it was someone hurrying to her, using _geppou,_ steps marked by the continuous rains.

It was Lucci, who killed the seaking with a kick, and immediately shifted direction to her. She stretched her arms with a relieved smile, when another sea king appeared—a smaller one, but with sharper teeth—behind Lucci. Lucci managed to avoid the deadly closing of its mouth, but its sharp fangs managed to graze his back and he was thrown off balance and into the water.

She didn't worry that much until the moment she remembered he can no longer swim.

Then it gestured to dive in—

" _LUCCI!"_

There was a wave emanating from where she had—a strong one—and the monster's eyes widened, just before it fell unconscious and crashed into the water.

She did not notice any of this as her eyes were glued on the waters, as if Lucci could hear her yells. "OI! LUCCI!" She yelled, and soon enough she jumped in herself.

 **…**

She woke up three days later.

Kalifa and the others found them as soon as she jumped into the water, it was also Kalifa who was on her bedside when she woke (they apparently took turns). She said Lucci was already awake, though they said if he was a normal person he'd have been buried already.

At that, she hurried up and ran to his room, heart pounding from that difficult combination of fear and guilt, opening the double doors without knocking. "Oops." She uttered when she saw him dressing up. But her eyes ended only one place: His back.

Now, over the cross-like scar on his back was a massive slash—the one from the Sea King.

She was frozen in place while Lucci casually put on his robe, walking to her and tilted his head down to look at her. "Do you still want to go?" He asked, but it was no question.

Her eyes stayed on his for a while, seeing many emotions that people would not dare look at. She shook her head in the end. _"I'm sorry Ace, Sabo."_ She told herself internally. _"You'll have to wait a bit longer."_

"No. I will stay."

陷入

When she was ten she noticed Lucci patted her head more often. That time, she had already mastered shigan ahead of kids that entered _years_ ahead of her—it was a feat anyone sans Lucci and their friends thought was impossible. She grinned widely every time he did this and he, with his eyes, smiled back.

She wanted to pat his hair too because it was curly now and it looked so _soft_. Hattori beaked her forehead at this thought though.

Regardless, she felt warm and happy because she knew he was proud.

Though somewhere in between her giddy ramblings, a few faces flashed inside her head—the people she wanted to see, the people she wanted to be proud of her. She was now so strong, after all! "Ace and Sabo would be so proud!" She said out loud, and the smile in Lucci's eyes disappeared completely.

Luffy was oblivious to the change of mood, however, and she whipped her head to him. "Doesn't the deliveryman lose them? My letters?" Though he only frowned when she wondered out loud why Ace hadn't replied to her letters so she didn't bring it up again.

This was the first time she was woken up by his nightmares in years.

…

When she was eleven and he was nearing twenty-one and the revolutionary army had already taken down a dozen monarchies. They were causing quite a stir that even the places who had slow news (like the island) caught on.

In Luffy's case, she overheard her trainers cursing the rebels and she ran to Lucci and asked him if he had news of Sabo. He stared at her and he shook his head. "He's likely dead."

Her worried face quickly turned to a sour frown. "No. Sabo is alive."

Lucci's hardened face did not change. "Denial is a powerful thing."

"I'm not in denial." She said and Lucci looked away in response, unceremoniously ending the conversation.

It was also the year she slept in Kalifa's bed.

After a few months she was relieved that she did so, because it would've been embarrassing to bleed on Lucci's bed (he'd _kill_ her, she thought, he liked his bed purely white after all). Also, at least Kalifa knew how to explain the monthly cycles to her.

Though she really didn't understand why girls had to suffer like this in the first place.

 **….**

When Luffy was twelve, she—along with many of her fellow trainees—were given animals. Pets, to be exact; Animals they would train on their own. She got a bull twice her height. Others had eagles, dogs, wolf that looks like a dog (not like Pochi), large cats, and other animals she had never seen before.

They are given a month to train them to sit, run, and do other cool tricks. They were also required to give them good names, so no one took less than an hour in thinking of one.

It was pretty easy for Luffy to tame her animal (and the others') which came as a surprise to everyone. "That's because Moocy is soo cool" she told them, and the animal always grinned sheepishly in response.

She helped out the other kids tame their pets and for a month it was _fun_. They taught the animals many many many tricks (sit! Down! Play dead! Roll over!), and slept beside them in their beds. In that short span of time, it was like they gained new friends—no, _family_. A family member they raised by themselves.

Until they were asked to kill them in cold blood.

"What?"

"It is part of your training. Do it." The trainer said, and everyone paled—they knew he was serious.

It was only Luffy who managed to utter a word. "NO."

The trainer raised an eyebrow, arms crossed, unmoving. "You can't ever be an agent if you don't."

"I don't _care_."

The trainer—and everyone else—stared, obviously not expecting the answer. It was the position everybody strived for in the first place, after all, and every trainee in the past had killed their animals—even if some took their time. It seemed this child was one of _those_ , the trainer thought, unamused.

"Take her to the storage." He said. It was code for a dungeon where she cannot eat for days, though Luffy had no inch of care. She could not eat ever if it meant saving a friend.

" _Don't you_ _ **dare**_ _touch Mooci!"_ She yelled, almost a bellow had she not been a small child. But the grip on her arms by the two men only tightened. She was dragged to a cave and she was roughly thrown in one of the stone-enclosed cells.

As she heard to door come to a close, she would soon hear gunshots—quickly followed by screams of animals and the crying hearts of her fellow children.

 **…**

Lucci arrived from a mission a few days later. Only Moocy is the only animal left there, also being starved, and the trainers were just waiting for Luffy to give in and kill the animal already. "We told her she can even eat him afterwards." Lucci used shigan on their arms before they knew what happened.

He didn't explain himself, and—through gritted teeth—just said that the previous mission got on his nerves. He glared, and the bleeding trainers walked away.

With a sigh, he turned to the direction of the dungeons. His eyebrows swiftly met at the sight of her clenching her stomach, lying in a fetus position right in the corner of the room. His fist clenched but he did not say a word for a moment, just after she shifted, finally noticing his presence.

She looked at him, stomach feeling like it was being eaten from the inside out, while he continued to look at her form.

"Three days? And with your metabolism, how are you still alive?" He asked, cold tone of voice somehow oozing with simmering anger.

"Moocy can't die. I ca-n't kill him. He's my friend." She told him without hesitation—as if she was not in pain—and his frown only deepened.

"You're willing to die for a bull?"

"Well, I'm not willing to kill him."

"What if I do it for you?"

" _NO!"_

Lucci stared at her and she sent him a defiant glare, somehow calming his anger. If she could yell like that, she was not going to die anytime soon. Regardless, his eyebrows still met before he sighed, placing a hand on his temples due to an upcoming headache.

Moocy was taken away then by a government ship, and Luffy wasn't even allowed to say her farewells. "They're not going to kill him, are they?"

"No." They're going to do something worse, Lucci thought. Convinced, Luffy's tense form softened. In fact, she was relaxed enough to ask annoying questions.

"Why do we have to kill them?"

"You need to learn to disregard emotions to do your job efficiently."

"Why?"

"Emotions are liabilities." He told her, baritone voice steady from certainty. "When we go undercover there will definitely be people we will betray. Feelings would only hinder what must be done."

She tilted her head, puzzled. "But aren't we doing this for the people?"

"Yes."

"Then why would we forget about things that make us humans?"

Lucci didn't answer and only stared at her, eyes widening ever-so-slightly. Eventually, he answered, looking away in the process. "We lose our humanity to protect others."

Luffy looked at him, her large innocent eyes boring into to him. "Did you lose yours too?" She asked, not believing it, not a bit. She raised her hand to hold on to his. "You're very kind."

Immediately, he slapped her hand away and he whipped his head to look at her, making her shiver under his glare. Just as quickly, he turned away and left her there.

They were never the same after that.

 **.**

 **.**

 **END OF CHAPTER 2**

 **CHAPTER 3: Water 7  
** The CP9 are sent to missions, and she gets to tag along.  
Just because no one else could handle her  
(OH. And Franky is the coolest. dude. ever)

* * *

 **REPLIES TO ANGELS**

 **Zelga Lim Li –** Oh hello, my first reviewer. xD Glad you found the story promising and I hope even more you like the continuation! And yep! I _love_ anti-heroes. They're awesome. Haha. Again, thank you so much for reviewing!

 **Vaughn Tyler –** Thank you! Hope you like Chapter 2 as well. Cheers!

 **Ninatrinhnz –** Thank you for telling me the story is amazing! Hope it stays that way as I continue on!

 **ElectricGriffin –** It's not a oneshot anymore. xD I'm continuing! Hope you like what will happen and thx for reviewing!

 **NightCielo –** And continue the story I shall! Hope it is satisfactory, and thank you for reviewing!

 **Guest [Jun 26, 2016] –** Well it was a set-up.. that I will continue! Thank you for reviewing, and I do hope you will like what I will do with this story!

 **Unique Name –** Read it again! Hopefully you have found your answer. xD

 **Arnest sirleena –** Rather than a sequel, I am continuing the story. Hope you like it, and thx for reviewing!

 **Asldork –** Awww thanks for saying that! I will definitely enjoy writing _all_ the pairings. Hope you will like it too!

 **Haruaji11 –** I was musing whether or not to continue the premise and I shall! She'll be a CP9 agent, probably, and I do hope I make it believable!

 **AceAyane –** Valid point. Though I think she doesn't have anything very strong against the government, she wanted to be a pirate to be free. And ACE lives! Banzaii!

 **Vanessa Masters –** heheh. Glad you liked it! By the way, one mystery down since I'm continuing it! I hope you enjoy and thx for reviewing~

 **SEMR –** Thanks! I _know_. I tried to do present tense but I end up always making so much grammar errors. So I switched back to past. Lol.

 **Akagara –** Thanks for reviewing! Glad you liked the first chap. Now, for your Questions. Garp is a marine, CP9 is a totally different entity. I'll answer most of those stuff in this chapter. Hope you like it!

 **Animefreak1145** – haha it's you! Welcome to this story. xDD And don't worry she'll meet them. I'll show the set up _next_ chap. And I agree! Lucci needs more (positive) screen time! Those shorts in St. Bipolar was just too cute! Thanks for reviewing btw and do enjoy the chap!

 **Leska** – Thank you! I hope I can do the idea justice! Enjoy this chapter and thanks for reviewing!

 **Usernameisinvalid –** Aww shux. Thanks for telling me the story's too good not to be continued. I will! Hope you like this chapter!

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…

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 **THANKS FOR READING!**

 **I would love to know your thoughts—whatever they are!—what I need is to feel  
that you read!**


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